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We come now to study the third of the four stages in our spiritual life, that is, “Christ living in me,” or, the experience of “the stage of the cross.”
If a Christian, after he consecrates himself to the Lord, deals thoroughly with all unrighteousness, unholiness, and the feelings of the conscience and has certain experiences in obeying the teaching of the anointing and understands God’s will, then the Lord will lead him to accept the dealings of the cross. Thus, he will obtain experiences of the stage of the cross.
The experience of the stage of the cross is different in many respects from the previous spiritual experiences. The first two stages of the experience of life can only be counted as the experience of one stage, because all those dealings can be experienced once a person is saved. A person who is saved in a very thorough way begins immediately to clear the past and deals with sin, the world, and the conscience. Even in the deeper lessons, such as obeying the teaching of the anointing and understanding the will of God, he has already made headway. Therefore, these experiences actually belong to the stage of salvation. However, there is definitely a difference when we come to the third stage. It brings us to the starting point of another aspect in the Christian experience, and this serves as a great turning point for a Christian before the Lord. Mrs. Penn-Lewis named this stage “the way of the cross.” She used the term way to denote that it is at this stage that a Christian begins to walk formally in the way of the cross, having the experience of the cross and walking entirely under the cross. Therefore, from this time on, his spiritual walk enters into a new stage.
Moreover, all the dealings during the first two stages with regard to unrighteousness, unholiness, and even the unpeaceful feelings in the conscience are related to matters outside of us and have nothing to do with our own self. In the first two stages we conceive of all our problems as being things related to sin and the world, and that if we have dealt with them, we will have no further problems. However, not until we consecrate ourselves to the Lord and obey Him in an absolute way, making progress in the Lord and entering into the third stage, do we gradually discover that, in following the Lord, not only do we have problems related to matters outside of us but also problems of our very being, such as our flesh, our self, and our natural constitution. Furthermore, these inward matters hinder and offend the Lord most severely. At this time we will be led by the Lord to see how the cross can solve all these difficulties pertaining to our being. Then we will have deeper dealings with regard to these matters. This is why we say that if a Christian can enter into this third stage of the experience of the cross, then indeed a great turning point and a new beginning will be effected in his life.
The matter concerning the cleansing of leprosy (Lev. 14:2-9) is a type that very clearly shows these two different kinds of dealings related to the matters outside of us and the things of our selves. In the Bible a leper always typifies our fallen, sinful man. The problem of a leper is really not in his outward filthiness and ugliness but in the poison of the disease within. Likewise, the main problem with us fallen sinners is really not our outward sinful deeds but the sinful nature within us, which originates from the evil life of Satan. Therefore, the typology regarding leprosy is a very accurate and thorough description of our sinful condition before God. Hence, the way of cleansing related to the leper, as recorded in Leviticus, is also the way of our being cleansed and dealt with before God.
The first requirement for the cleansing of a leper was to bring him to the priest. The priest typifies the Lord Jesus. “The priest shall go forth outside the camp” (v. 3) to examine the leper, because the leper could not enter into the camp but had to remain outside. This tells us that we sinners cannot come into the midst of God’s people, where God manifests His grace; but the Lord Jesus has come out to examine us. If we have really repented from our heart, then the plague of leprosy is healed in the sight of God. After it is healed, “then the priest shall command that two living clean birds and cedar wood and scarlet strands and hyssop be taken for the one who is to be cleansed. And the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered in an earthen vessel over running water. As for the living bird, he shall take it and the cedar wood and the scarlet strands and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the running water. And he shall sprinkle it on the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times and shall pronounce him clean. Then he shall let the living bird go into the open field” (vv. 4-7). The filthiness of the leper is a sin before God; therefore, it requires the cleansing of the sprinkling of the blood. This is not for the cleansing of the sinful nature but for the abolishing of all record of sin before God. The procedure in the sprinkling of the blood is to prepare two birds: one to be slaughtered in an earthen vessel over running water, and the other, which is living, to be dipped in the blood, and the blood to then be sprinkled over the leper. The bird that is slaughtered typifies the Lord Jesus shedding His blood and suffering death, the living bird typifies the Lord Jesus resurrected from death, and the running water typifies the eternal life of our Lord. Therefore, this indicates that the Lord Jesus shed His blood and suffered death in His eternal life. Furthermore, the blood, shed by His death, and His eternal life are brought to us and become effective in us through His resurrection. The sprinkling of the blood seven times indicates the completeness of the cleansing of the Lord’s blood; it can abolish all our sinful record before God and make us acceptable to God. After the living bird was dipped in the blood, it was set loose into the open field. This means that after a person receives the death of the Lord Jesus in his stead, the blood of the Lord becomes effective upon him, and the power of the resurrection of the Lord is manifested in him and sets him free.
When a person is resurrected and liberated through the death and resurrection of the Lord, he is saved. From this time forth, he must cleanse away all his filthiness, dealing with both his inward and outward difficulties.
“The one who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes” (v. 8). Clothing, which is something put upon the human body, typifies our living, deeds, and actions. Therefore, the washing of the clothes indicates dealing with all improper and wrong deeds in our lives. This includes all that we have mentioned before — the clearance of the past and the dealing with sin, the world, and the conscience, which belong to the first two stages of the experience of life.
It follows then that the leper has to “shave off all his hair...and bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean” (v. 9). The hair, which is something grown out from a man’s body, signifies the difficulties within ourselves. Therefore, shaving the hair means dealing with the difficulties of our own self. This is the work of the cross in dealing with our being. After one passes through the dealing of the cross, his whole being is cleansed in a practical way. This kind of dealing is not once for all; it must be repeated again and again to become thorough. Therefore, “on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair; he shall shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair. Then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean” (v. 9). This continuous dealing is not only thorough but detailed; that is, it is not only the shaving of the hair in general, but it also differentiates between the hair of the head, the beard, and the eyebrows, and the hair of the whole body. These areas must be dealt with one by one, and eventually the whole body completely shaved.
In the Bible each of the different kinds of hair has its own significance. The hair of the head signifies the glory of man, the beard represents the honor of man, the eyebrows speak of the beauty of man, and the hair of the whole body denotes the natural strength of man. Everyone has his boasts in certain areas. Some boast of their ancestry, some of their education, some of their virtues, some of their zeal in their love for the Lord. Almost everyone can find an area in which to boast, to glorify himself, and to make a display before man. This is typified by the hair of the head. Moreover, people esteem themselves honorable with regard to their position, their family background, or even their spirituality; they always have a superior feeling that they are above others. This is their beard. At the same time, men also have some natural beauty, that is, some naturally good and strong points, which did not issue from the experience of God’s salvation but from natural birth. This is the eyebrows of man. Finally, as human beings, we are full of natural strength, natural methods and opinions, thinking that we can do this or that for the Lord and that we are capable of doing all things. This means that we still have very long hair all over our body; we have not been shaved. All these are not outward contaminations but problems of our natural birth. The outward contaminations need only to be washed with water; however, our own natural problems must be shaved with a razor, which means that they must be dealt with by the cross. This kind of dealing is deep and severe, hurting us within and causing us much pain.
What we will discuss in the third stage are the experiences of “shaving the hair,” that is, dealing with the problems of our own self. We will divide these dealings into the following items: dealing with the flesh, dealing with self, and dealing with the natural constitution. These are the major experiences of dealing in the third stage of the experience of life.
The first experience in the third stage of our spiritual life is dealing with the flesh by the cross. As we have mentioned before, dealing with sin can be likened to removing the dirt from a shirt; dealing with the world, to removing the colorful prints in the shirt; and dealing with the conscience, to removing the minute bacteria from the shirt. Then the shirt is completely cleansed. From the human viewpoint, it is sufficient to be dealt with to such an extent. However, it is not so with God. God has to further cut the shirt into pieces with a knife. This is dealing with the flesh. Although this seems unreasonable, it is real in our spiritual experience. After we have dealt with sin, the world, and the conscience, it seems that all the outward filthiness has been dealt with. But if the Lord enlightens us, we will discover that the greatest difficulty encountered by the life of God within us is our natural life, our own being. Although we have dealings with unrighteousness, unholiness, and all the feelings in the conscience, we still live by our natural life, not by God’s life; we still live in ourselves, not in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we are still soulish, not spiritual. If we want to be delivered from this kind of difficulty, the only way of salvation is the cross. Only when we accept the cross to break our natural life will the life of God be manifested and overflow. Only when we put ourselves to death will we let the Holy Spirit do an enlivening work within us. When the Israelites passed through the Jordan, the wandering in the wilderness came to an end; they entered into the realm of new life. Thus, they were able to enjoy the produce of the land of Canaan, fight for God, and bring in the kingdom. The Israelites’ passing through the Jordan signifies our experience of the death of Christ so that we may be delivered from the flesh and enter into the riches of God’s life. If we receive the mercy of God and go on faithfully in the path of life, we will also fully experience the putting to death of our flesh by the cross and be conformed to His death. Only when we experience the deliverance of the putting to death of our flesh by the cross will we be delivered out of the realm of desolation and failures and enter thereby into the riches and rest of Christ, living in the heavenly realm to fight for God and bring in God’s kingdom. Therefore, the experience of the stage of dealing by the cross is a very important crisis. Blessed are they who can experience it in a full and thorough way, for they are close to maturity in their spiritual life, and Christ will grow and be formed in them.
Romans 8:7-8: “Because the mind set on the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” This speaks of the condition of the enmity of the flesh toward God. A fleshly person can never please God or be accepted by Him.
Romans 6:6: “Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves.” The old man refers to the flesh when it is not expressed. This passage reveals that our old man, or our flesh, has been crucified with Christ, and that it is a fact that has been accomplished long ago.
Galatians 5:24: “They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” In the sight of God, dealing with the flesh is also a fact that has been accomplished long ago. Hence, we should no longer live by the flesh.
Romans 8:13: “If you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” This tells us that we need to put to death the practices of the body by the Spirit and thus experience the dealing of the cross in a practical way.
We can find at least three definitions in the Bible of the flesh.
The first definition of the flesh in the Bible is our corrupted body. When God first created man, he had only the physical body, not the flesh. At that time there was no sin or lust in the human body; it was simply a created body. However, when Satan induced man to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then Satan and his sinful life, which was signified by the fruit, entered into the human body, causing the human body to be transmuted and corrupted and thus become the flesh. Therefore, today, the human flesh, which has sin, lust, and many other impure substances of Satan within it, is much more complicated than the original human body.
We can easily find scriptural ground to show that the flesh is the corrupted body. For example, Romans 6:6 mentions “the body of sin,” which is the sinful body. Romans 7:24 mentions “the body of this death,” which means the dead body. This sinful and dead body refers to the corrupted body, or the flesh. Sin and death are the characteristics of the life of Satan. Our body, which has sin and death, has become the flesh. Therefore, Romans 7:18 says, “In my flesh, nothing good dwells”; again, verse 20 says, “Sin that dwells in me”; and again, verse 21 says, “Evil is present with me.” These verses tell us that “sin” or “evil,” which is within us, is in our flesh. Then verse 23, which mentions “the law of sin which is in my members,” shows in a more practical way that the law of sin is in the members of the body. This reveals that our body, having been mixed with satanic poison, is corrupted.
Galatians 5:19-21 lists the manifestations of the flesh, such as fornication, uncleanness, and lasciviousness, all emanating from our corrupted body; therefore, the first definition of the flesh is our corrupted body.
The second definition of the flesh in the Bible is our whole fallen being. Romans 3:20 says, “Out of the works of the law no flesh shall be justified before Him.” Galatians 2:16 states, “A man is not justified out of works of law.” In these two passages we see that “flesh” and “man” are identical. In the Lord’s eyes, man not only has the flesh but is flesh as well.
How did man fall and become flesh? Immediately after man was created, his body was in subjection to the soul, which, in turn, was in subjection to the spirit. On one hand, man had fellowship with God by the spirit, thereby understanding the will of God; on the other hand, he exercised his spirit to bring his whole being into subjection to God’s will. Hence, at that time man lived by the spirit and was controlled by the spirit. When man was induced by Satan to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man fell away from the spirit and no longer lived by the spirit. Meanwhile, the human body, having been poisoned by Satan, became transmuted into flesh. This was the first step of the human fall. Then Cain sinned and fell, in that he was rejected by God because he served God according to his own delight and opinion. Thus, man fell completely into the realm of the soul; he lived by the soul and became a soulish man. After Cain, man fell even deeper and sinned more violently. As a result, the spirit of man became withered, and his flesh grew stronger and stronger until it usurped the place of the spirit to control the whole being. In this way man fell completely into the flesh and lived by it. Therefore, before the flood, God said that man “is flesh” (Gen. 6:3). Then, again, He said, “All flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth” (v. 12). At that time, in the sight of God, man was not only of the flesh but was the flesh. As those who are evil are the flesh, so also those who are good are the flesh. As those who hate are the flesh, so also those who love are the flesh. All people of this world are flesh. Therefore, in the Bible flesh refers also to the whole fallen human being.
Usually when we mention the flesh, we think that the flesh is corrupt and wicked, just as mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21. But the Bible shows us that the flesh has not only an evil aspect but also a good aspect. The good flesh desires to do good and to worship and serve God. Paul in Philippians 3:3-6 indicates that there were some who worshipped God in the flesh and boasted in their flesh. The flesh there undoubtedly refers to flesh in its good aspect, for by it man worships God and through it man boasts.
Why is there a good aspect of man or of the flesh? Because although we are the people who fell deeply, we still have some good element that was originally created by God. Therefore, we often want to do good and serve God. But, after all, man or the flesh in its good aspect is weak and powerless, desiring to do good or serve God but not being able to do either. In the sight of God, we, the fallen men, controlled by the flesh, wholly became flesh. Anything that originates in us, whether good or bad, is of the flesh and does not please God. Therefore, not only our temper, hatred, or anything against God that originates in us is of the flesh, but the gentleness, love, and even the service to God that originate in us are also of the flesh. Whatever originates in us, whether good or bad, is of the flesh. We have to know the flesh to such an extent; then we have really touched the meaning of the flesh. Therefore, in the Bible, flesh also denotes the good aspect of man.
What is the position of the flesh before God? What is God’s attitude toward the flesh? This matter is clearly mentioned in many places in the Bible; however, we can only point out here the most important passages.
Exodus 30:32 says, “Upon the flesh of man it [the holy anointing oil] shall not be poured.” The holy anointing oil typifies the Holy Spirit, which is God Himself. Therefore, the declaration that the holy anointing oil must not be poured upon man’s flesh means that God cannot mingle or unite with the flesh.
Exodus 17:14 and 16 say, “Jehovah said to Moses...I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven...Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Why did God determine to exterminate Amalek and to have war with him from generation to generation? It is because Amalek in the Bible typifies our flesh.
The Israelites, as the descendants of Jacob, typify the chosen, regenerated part within us, which is the new man in our spirit belonging to Christ. The Amalekites, as the descendants of Esau, typify the fallen natural part within us, which is the old man in the flesh belonging to Adam. Esau and Jacob were twins, but their descendants, the Amalekites and the Israelites, were mutual enemies; they could not stand together. Likewise, our fleshly old man is very close to our spiritual new man; the two are also mutual enemies and cannot stand together. The fact that God would have war with Amalek shows us how God hates the flesh and desires to exterminate it. If the flesh is not exterminated and there is no dealing with it, our spiritual life will have no way to grow. The two can never compromise or coexist.
When Saul became the king of Israel, God commanded him to smite the Amalekites, destroy all that they had, and not spare them (1 Sam. 15). However, Saul spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and the best of the sheep and of the oxen. All that was good he did not utterly destroy, but everything that was despised and worthless he utterly destroyed. Since Saul did not absolutely obey the command of God, he forfeited God’s favor and lost his throne. This indicates that if man does not absolutely reject the flesh but retains what is good and honorable in the sight of man, he cannot please God, because between God and the flesh there is no compromise.
In the book of Esther, Mordecai chose to die rather than to bow down to Haman, an Agagite, the descendant of Agag, the Amalekite. Because Mordecai withstood firmly to the end, he pleased God and also brought deliverance to the Jews. This is further proof that only when we do not give in to the flesh, even unto death, can we please God and become fitting vessels for Him. God and the flesh cannot exist together!
In the Old Testament God did one specific thing to express His attitude toward the flesh — He established circumcision. The first man whom God commanded to perform the act of circumcision was Abraham (Gen. 17). God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as the stars of the heavens and like the sand which is on the seashore. But as God delayed in the fulfillment of His promise, Abraham took Hagar as his wife and bore Ishmael. Thus, he used the strength of his flesh to fulfill God’s promise. God was not pleased with him, and for thirteen years God hid Himself. Then, when Abraham was ninety-nine years old, God appeared again to him (16:15; 17:1). At this appearance God commanded Abraham and all that belonged to him to be circumcised. This means God desired that the flesh be removed so that henceforth they would not serve God in the flesh.
The second time that circumcision is mentioned in the Bible is in Exodus 4. As Moses answered the call of God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, God met him on the way and sought to put him to death, because his two sons had not been circumcised. Hence, Zipporah, the wife of Moses, circumcised her son. From this we see that if man desires to serve God, he must first remove the flesh; otherwise, even if he gives up everything for God, he can never please Him.
The third instance of circumcision was at Gilgal, after the Israelites passed through the Jordan (Josh. 4—5). On the day of the passover, the Israelites buried their sins under the blood of the lamb. When they left Egypt, they buried their enemy, the hosts of Egypt, in the waters of the Red Sea. As they entered Canaan, they buried their self, or flesh, in the waters of the Jordan. In other words, they dealt with their sins at the passover and the world at the Red Sea, but before passing through the Jordan, they had never dealt with their flesh. Therefore, they wandered for forty years in the wilderness until they passed through the Jordan, where the Israelite of the old creation, that is, the flesh, was dealt with. When they passed through the Jordan, they gathered twelve stones from the bed of the river and carried them to the other side of the river; they also put another twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan. This means that their old man was buried under the river and that it was the new Israel that entered Canaan. Therefore, once they passed through the Jordan, they were all formally circumcised and rolled away their flesh. Henceforth, they were able to fight for God and bring in His kingdom.
Furthermore, the New Testament mentions circumcision for Christians. Colossians 2:11 says, “In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.” This further reveals, and that most clearly, that the spiritual meaning of circumcision is the putting away of the flesh. Circumcision, a sign of the covenant of God with His people, signifies that God desires His people to put away the flesh and live in His presence.
Romans 8:8 says, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” The Bible has spoken much about the flesh, and at this point it concludes that the flesh cannot please God. If man belongs to the flesh, minds the flesh, and lives by the flesh, whatever he does, either good or bad, cannot please God.
Galatians 5:24 says, “They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” The rightful position of the flesh is on the cross. The final consequence of the flesh before God is death. God’s verdict upon the flesh is that it must be put to death. Only when the flesh is put to death can God have His place and His way in man.
By studying the above five points, we realize how the whole Bible proves that the flesh is abominable before God and that God would forever destroy it. The greatest reason that God so deeply hates the flesh is that Satan lives in the flesh. The flesh is the camp of God’s enemy and the largest base for his work. We can say that all the work of Satan in man is accomplished by means of the flesh. And all his work through the means of the flesh destroys the plan and the goal of God. Therefore, we can say that God hates the flesh in the same manner that He hates Satan, and He wants to destroy the flesh in the same manner that He wants to destroy Satan. God and the flesh can never exist together.
The Bible mentions both the flesh and the old man. What is the relationship between the flesh and the old man? How do we differentiate between these two? To put it simply, the flesh is the living out of the old man; the two are one. In the old creation we are the old man. When the old man is lived out and expressed, it is the flesh. Therefore, both the old man and the flesh actually refer to our very being. As to the objective fact, we are the old man; as to the subjective experience, we are the flesh.
This matter is clearly stated in the book of Romans. Romans 5 speaks about the inheritance we have in Adam, chapter 6 speaks of what we have obtained in Christ, chapter 7 tells of our bondage in the flesh, and chapter 8 proclaims the release we have in the Holy Spirit. Chapters 5 and 6 are related to the objective facts concerning Christ and the old man, and chapters 7 and 8 are related to the subjective experiences concerning the Holy Spirit and the flesh. Just as Christ is related to the Holy Spirit, so the old man is related to the flesh. Just as Christ cannot be experienced without the Holy Spirit, so also the old man cannot be experienced without the flesh. Christ is lived out in the Holy Spirit; likewise, the old man is lived out in the flesh. For example, the Bible says that our old man has been crucified with Christ. This is a fact that was accomplished nineteen hundred years ago, though at that time we had not been born, and our old man had not been lived out. Today, more than nineteen hundred years later, we have been born, and we know how to lie and lose our temper. This is the living out of the old man, and we call it the flesh. Therefore, that which was crucified with Christ was our old man, which had not yet been lived out at that time; whereas that which is being dealt with today is the flesh, the living out of our being. Therefore, the flesh is the living out and the expression of the old man; that is, the flesh is our experience of the old man.
From this we can clearly see that when the Bible states that our old man has been crucified with Christ, it refers to the objective fact in the past, and when it says that our flesh must be crucified, it refers to the subjective experience today. Therefore, dealing with the flesh is entirely a matter of experience.
We have said before that there are three definitions of the flesh, which represent its three aspects. In dealing with the flesh we are dealing with these three aspects. First, we need to deal with passion, lust, pride, selfishness, dishonesty, covetousness, contentiousness, jealousy, and all other corrupt elements that are in the flesh. Second, we need to deal with the fleshly man. Our very being has fallen into the flesh and is bound and controlled by the flesh; hence, our whole being has become flesh. Therefore, our whole being must be thoroughly dealt with by the cross. Third, we need to deal with the good aspect of the flesh. All our natural goodness, our strong points by virtue of our birth, man esteems to be good, but they are abominable to God; thus, they also need to be dealt with.
Therefore, whatever belongs to our being, because it is flesh, needs to be dealt with. But how do we deal with the flesh? We will discuss this in two aspects: the objective fact and the subjective experience.
The objective fact in dealing with the flesh is completely related to Christ. Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ.” Again, Romans 6:6 says, “Our old man has been crucified with Him.” These two passages clearly show us that when Christ was nailed to the cross, we were crucified with Him. Our fleshly being has been dealt with on the cross of Christ. This is a fact, which has been accomplished long ago in the universe. The fact that we have been crucified with Christ is the basis of our dealing with the flesh. If we had never been crucified with Christ, none of us could deal with the flesh. Therefore, our dealing with the flesh is to bring forth in experience the fact that we have died with Christ.
Therefore, the first step in our dealing with the flesh is to ask the Lord to enlighten us so that we may obtain revelation to see the fact of our having been crucified with Christ. Romans 6:11 says, “Reckon yourselves to be dead to sin.” This reckoning is a matter of seeing. When we have seen the fact that we have died with Christ, we can automatically reckon ourselves as dead.
The subjective experience in dealing with the flesh is completely related to the Holy Spirit. Being dead with Christ is merely a fact that Christ has accomplished for us before God; to us it is still objective. There is the need for the Holy Spirit to work in us and execute the fact that Christ has accomplished on the cross; then the dying with Christ will become our subjective experience. A very major and basic work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is to work into us the fact that Christ has crucified the flesh on the cross. In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit is to have the cross on Calvary wrought into us to become the cross within us. Therefore, the subjective experience in dealing with the flesh is being executed by the Holy Spirit in us.
Romans 6 and 8 show clearly both the death that Christ accomplished and the death being executed by the Holy Spirit. After Romans 6 tells us that we have been crucified with Christ, Romans 8:13 says, “By the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body.” Since chapter 6 says that we have been crucified, why then does chapter 8 speak of the putting to death? It is because the deaths mentioned in these two chapters are different. The death in chapter 6 is that which was accomplished in Christ, whereas the death in chapter 8 is that which is being executed in the Holy Spirit. Chapter 6 speaks about the objective death, and chapter 8, the subjective death; chapter 6, the fact of dying together, chapter 8, the experience of dying together; chapter 6, the death of the old man, chapter 8, the death of the flesh. The death in chapter 6 needs our faith; the death in chapter 8 requires our fellowship, that is, our living in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need both aspects of this death. Some think that since the problem of our flesh has been solved long ago by the cross, if we just believe this fact and receive this truth, we are quite all right, and we have no need to spend time dealing with it. Others think that dealing with the flesh is altogether our responsibility and that we need to spend our effort daily in dealing with it point by point. Both ways of thinking stress only one aspect; thus, both are unbalanced and partial. If we wish to have a real experience in dealing with the flesh, we need both aspects.
Now we come to see the practical process of experiencing dealing with the flesh.
When a man is willing to deal with his flesh, he always begins with the first step of desiring a sinless life. The part of the flesh that is easiest to recognize is its corrupted aspect. Therefore, in dealing with the flesh, we always start with the corrupted aspect. The corrupted flesh that we are considering here has a wider and deeper scope than that of dealing with sin. Everything hidden in man that displeases God, that has nothing to do with God’s heart’s desire, and that cannot attain to God’s will is the corrupted flesh. When a man is being drawn by the Lord to pursue on, he automatically sees the filthiness and abominable traits of the corrupted flesh. He naturally desires to be delivered from it and live a holy, sinless, and victorious life.
When a man so desires a sinless life and wishes to be delivered from the bondage of sin, he naturally uses his own strength to deal with the sin that he is conscious of. Moreover, he asks the Lord for strength to help him deal with the sins. But the result is disappointing, because although he deals with some sinful deeds, he is not able to deal with the nature within him, which inclines toward sin. He summons all his efforts and deals with one sin, but another ten make their appearance. It seems that the more he deals, the stronger the power of sin is so that he usually experiences complete failure. In all these failures he gradually discovers that within him is the corrupted flesh. He also knows that this corrupted flesh is the origin of all the sins. Sins are but the expressed corruptions; the flesh is the true root of all these corruptions. To deal only with the sins and not with the flesh is to neglect the cause and to deal with the consequence, the result of which is vain labor. It is not possible to live a sinless life unless there has been a thorough dealing with the flesh. Thus, this person discovers that the flesh is his greatest problem.
The Bible depicts the same experience regarding our dealing with the flesh. First, Romans 6 tells us that being baptized in Christ, we no longer should live in sins, nor should we present our members as weapons of unrighteousness to sin. Therefore, we need to deal with sin and present our members as weapons of righteousness. Then chapter 7 follows by telling us that this person who deals with sin discovers that sin and the flesh are inseparable. The flesh, being the body of sin, has no goodness in it. The reason that man sins is because he is fleshly. Therefore, chapter 8, on one hand, speaks of the fact of being set free in Christ Jesus by the law of the Spirit of life, and, on the other hand, of dealing with the flesh. Only when the flesh has been dealt with can we be freed from the entanglement of sin. After one has desired the sinless life, he will gradually discover the difficulty of the flesh, knowing that we, the man of the old creation, are the flesh, and all our problems are of our very being. If we do not deal with our very being, the problem of the flesh cannot be solved, and we cannot live a holy, sinless life.
When we have really seen the difficulty of the flesh in the light of God and realize that there is absolutely no way for us to deal with the flesh by ourselves, we are totally in despair in ourselves. The Holy Spirit will then give us a revelation concerning the deliverance of the cross as mentioned in Romans 6:6: “Our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves.” The Spirit will show us that this old man of the flesh has been crucified with Christ and that our body of sin has already been done away with and has lost its function; then why should we still be under its bondage? In Romans 6 it is mentioned again and again that we have died to sin, that we have been released from sin, and that sin can no longer have dominion over us; hence, we have already been freed from sin. Once we come to the light of God’s Word and receive this fact through faith, this word becomes the declaration of our emancipation and the song of our triumph. We can then reckon ourselves as dead to sin but living to God in Christ Jesus. What a glorious grace!
After we see and receive the fact that our old man has been crucified with Christ, we should allow the Holy Spirit to execute this fact within us. Christ has accomplished the objective fact for us, but we must be responsible for the subjective experience through the Holy Spirit. All the experiences of dealing with the flesh will not be real unless they are experienced subjectively. Whoever merely believes the fact that we have died with Christ on the cross does not have the real experience of dealing with the flesh. When the Lord died on the cross, the veil was rent in two. That veil was His flesh. He had put on our flesh and was nailed to the cross. This fact was to Him a subjective experience, but to us it is an objective fact. We must let the Holy Spirit execute this within us so that it will become our practical, subjective experience.
Galatians 5:24 says, “They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” This passage reveals that we, those who are saved and are of Christ Jesus, are the initiators of crucifying the flesh. It does not say here that the Lord crucified our flesh but that we ourselves have crucified the flesh. From this we see that we have the responsibility to take the initiative in crucifying the flesh. Crucifying the old man is the responsibility of God, but crucifying the flesh is our responsibility.
What Galatians 5:24 speaks about, therefore, is the subjective experience that we have crucified the flesh, not the objective fact that Christ has crucified our old man, as is the concept of many. The reasons are, first, that the crucifying of the flesh mentioned here is an act of our own initiative, not what Christ has done for us. Second, what is mentioned here is crucifying the flesh, not crucifying the old man. We have said that the old man refers to the objective aspect, whereas the flesh always refers to our subjective experience. Moreover, the same verse also mentions the passions and lusts, which are matters of our practical daily living. Third, all the verses preceding and following this verse speak about the work of the Holy Spirit; thus, the crucifying of the flesh mentioned in this verse must be something that we experience through the Holy Spirit. Hence, it refers to our subjective experience. With these three points in view, we can see that this verse speaks entirely of our subjective experience.
Why then does it say here that all who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh? Why is the crucifying of the flesh an accomplished fact? How can this correspond to the experience of many? Do not the majority of Christians still live by the flesh? The answer is that the apostle was speaking according to the normal working of the Holy Spirit. Normally, all who belong to Christ Jesus should have already crucified the flesh through the Holy Spirit. If anyone belongs to the Lord and has not crucified the flesh by the Holy Spirit, he is abnormal. Many of the saints in Galatia were in such an abnormal stage. Even though they were saved and belonged to Christ, they lived by the flesh and did not crucify the flesh by the Holy Spirit. The apostle told the Galatians that according to the normal way, all who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh: “Since you, the Galatians, are of Christ, how can you still live by the flesh? Since God has already crucified your old man with Christ, you also should have crucified the flesh by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you should not live by the flesh any longer and fulfill the lust of your flesh.” This is the meaning of the apostle in Galatians 5:24.
Some people think that crucified...with in this verse means crucified with Christ. But if we read the words of the apostle carefully, we will realize that this means the crucifying of the flesh with “its passions and its lusts.” Here the apostle is not dealing with the objective fact that we have been crucified with Christ but with the subjective experience of crucifying the flesh through the Holy Spirit.
The main purpose of discerning the correct meaning of this verse is that we may see that in this matter of dealing with the flesh we must bear our responsibility. It is not enough that we merely believe our old man has been crucified with Christ; we must take the initiative to crucify the flesh through the Holy Spirit. The Bible never says that we must crucify the old man, because this is an accomplished fact in Christ. Nor does the Bible say that Christ has already crucified our flesh, for this is our responsibility through the Holy Spirit.
Even our experience tells us this. It may be that half a year ago we definitely realized the fact that our old man was crucified in Christ. But if we do not put the flesh to death by the Holy Spirit, then to this very day we are still living by the flesh. When we see the fact that our old man was crucified on the cross, we still need to use the cross through the Holy Spirit as the knife to slay our flesh. We need to put our flesh to death daily through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we will have the real experience of dealing with the flesh.
We have to put the flesh on the cross; but, of course, this cross is not ours. In the whole universe there is only one cross that is considered effective by God. This is the cross of Christ. Therefore, our subjective dealing is based on the objective crucifixion. When we realize that our being, the old creation, the old man, has already been dealt with by the cross of Christ and that this old man is still being lived out again in the flesh, we should let the Holy Spirit apply the cross of Christ to us step by step in our daily life. Thus, step by step we put our flesh to death through the Holy Spirit. This is the practical experience of the Holy Spirit’s crucifying work within us. Once we have seen that Christ has solved all our problems on the cross, we must immediately allow the Holy Spirit to make this fact effective in us. This effectiveness is our subjective experience.
When God commanded Saul to kill the Amalekites, God Himself would not do the killing; Saul was the one to go to execute the Amalekites. Yet the power through which Saul killed the Amalekites was not of himself but of God. When the Spirit of God descended upon Saul, He gave him the power by which he was able to kill all the Amalekites. Today in dealing with the flesh, the principle is the same. On one hand, God Himself does not deal with our flesh; we ourselves must be responsible to deal with the flesh and put it to death. On the other hand, it is absolutely through the power of God that we are able to deal with the flesh. Our dealing with the flesh is not at all like the religion of the Gentiles, which uses human effort to bring the flesh under subjection. In other words, we must bear the responsibility to deal with the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In summary, the crucifying of the “I,” our “being,” is an accomplishment in Christ. But the crucifying of our flesh is an accomplishment in the Holy Spirit. To put the cross upon the “I,” upon the “old man,” was the objective fact accomplished by the Lord Jesus at Golgotha. It is when the Holy Spirit puts this cross upon our flesh that it becomes our subjective experience. This is what Galatians 5:24 says: “Have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts”; what Romans 8:13 says: “By the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body”; and what Colossians 3:5 says: “Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth.”
After we pass through the above process, we begin to experience dealing with the flesh. Yet this kind of experience and dealing is not once for all. We need to apply this experience and dealing to our practical living continuously, allowing the Holy Spirit to execute the putting to death in us, so that in every matter we may have the experience of dealing with the flesh. This continual experience is what we mean by the application of dealing with the flesh. We can divide this topic into three points.
The application of dealing with the flesh is a matter that is completely in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. None can experience the dealing of the cross outside the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in order to experience and apply continuously the dealing with the flesh, the most basic requirement is to live in the fellowship, or to live in the Holy Spirit. Whenever we are not in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we immediately lose the reality of dealing with the flesh.
Romans 6 speaks of the fact that the old man is crucified in Christ, whereas Romans 8 speaks of dealing with the flesh in the Holy Spirit. Romans 6 speaks of the death of Christ solving our problem of sin and the resurrection of Christ solving our problem of death. Yet these are the objective facts, which can only become experience in the law of the Spirit of life of Romans 8. Therefore, we have said emphatically that the fact in Romans 6 can never be our experience unless it is placed together with the Holy Spirit of chapter 8. It is very possible that someone may clearly realize the fact mentioned in chapter 6 and also accept it by faith; yet if he does not live in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit of chapter 8, this fact cannot become his experience. On the other hand, there have been many saints throughout the generations who have neither known the truth in chapter 6 adequately nor seen it clearly, yet they have remained living in the fellowship of chapter 8; as a result, they have spontaneously experienced release from the flesh. Therefore, the fellowship of Romans 8 is absolutely necessary in the application of dealing with the flesh.
When we have fellowship with the indwelling Holy Spirit and allow Him to move freely in our fellowship, then we touch the life of the Lord in the Holy Spirit. One of the elements of this life, the death of the cross, or the element of death, will then be applied to us in a practical way. The more the Holy Spirit moves in us, the more the element of the Lord’s death will accomplish a killing work in us. This killing is the applying of the cross, or the application of dealing with the flesh. Therefore, if we wish to apply dealing with the flesh, we need to live continuously in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
When we are in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to execute the death of Christ in us, His activity is limited in the beginning to a few actions of ours and occurs only occasionally. It is not until our experience gradually grows deeper that this death will be executed generally upon all our actions. In the early stage we have dealings only when we discover our fleshly actions. Later, we allow the Holy Spirit to purify all our actions, whether good or bad, by executing the death of the cross in us. Consequently, all that we are in the natural constitution, the old creation, and the self will be solved by the cross. What remains should be of God and the substance of His life.
Take for example the matter of visiting the saints, offering a gift, and other such things that we think are good and spiritual. Even in these matters, we need first to allow the Holy Spirit to execute the death of Christ. Thus, we can be clear whether we should do any visiting or give an offering. The flesh of man fears the cross more than anything, for once it meets the cross, it is through. Yet God and His life in us become more living by contact with the cross. The cross of Christ is the dividing line between the old and the new creations. If we have never passed through the cross of Christ, we cannot discern the new creation from the old, the Holy Spirit from the flesh, or the resurrection life from the natural life. The two are always confused one with the other and are difficult to differentiate, especially with regard to good and so-called spiritual things. Yet once we pass through the death of the cross, the new and the old are separated. All that falls and is finished is of the old creation, of the flesh, and of the natural constitution. All that can stand and remain is of the new creation, of the Holy Spirit, and of the resurrection life. Thus, the cross is the best filter. It retains the flesh and all that pertains to it, whereas it releases God and all that is of God.
If we continually apply the experience of the cross and allow the Holy Spirit to execute the death of the cross upon every aspect of our living and action, the flesh will be dealt with in a most effective manner and thus become atrophied. If we live continually under the shadow of the cross, the flesh will have no way to raise its head. Only thus can we be in the church without causing any trouble and be knit together with the brothers and sisters as one Body for the best service to the Lord.
Praise the Lord, in the past years we have served the Lord with many co-workers, yet among us there has been no quarrel or division. Apparently, it is because we all sought the Lord and loved the Lord with one heart and were all for the Lord. But the deeper reason is that we all have to some extent learned the lesson of dealing with the flesh by the cross. The cross within us kills all the strife and jealousy of the flesh, to the end that we cannot quarrel or be divisive.
If we apply dealing with the flesh to all our actions, we will eventually walk according to the law of the Spirit of life. Romans 8 shows us that the overcoming of the flesh is the result of obeying the Holy Spirit. The moving of the Holy Spirit within us is a law, the law of the Spirit of life. In other words, when we are in fellowship and apply, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the death of the cross to every part of our living, this application is the obeying of the law of the Holy Spirit in us and also the allowing of the Holy Spirit to move spontaneously in us. Therefore, our dealing with the flesh and putting it to death through the Holy Spirit have a positive relationship with the spontaneous law of the Holy Spirit within us. One who really experiences dealing with the flesh is one who allows the Holy Spirit to move within him and also one who allows the law of the Spirit of life to operate in him.
When we absolutely obey the law of the Spirit of life, we do not set our mind on the flesh but on the Spirit. At all times we put to death the deeds of the body and leave no room for the flesh. Not only will we not sin or err according to the flesh, but we will not even touch spiritual things or serve God in the flesh. Only then will we have thoroughly dealt with our flesh in a practical way; only then will we be completely released from the flesh and live in the Holy Spirit.
The first point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know what the flesh is and sense the flesh within us. In spiritual experience, all dealings are based on our knowledge and sense regarding that very matter. The degree to which we have attained in our knowledge will be the degree to which we have dealings. The thoroughness and depth of our dealing is according to our knowledge and sense in this matter. Therefore, if we wish to have a real experience in dealing with the flesh, we need to have a clear knowledge and sense of the flesh.
The meaning of the flesh has three aspects, namely: the corrupted flesh, the whole fallen man, and the aspect of man’s good. It is easier for us to discern the flesh as the corrupted body, that is the corrupted aspect of the flesh; therefore, the first stage in our dealing with the flesh is more in this aspect. But as we go on with the Lord, we need to have a deeper knowledge and dealing concerning the other two aspects of the flesh. Not only should we know that sinning, losing our temper, and doing other evil things are of the flesh, but we should also realize that even the matter of worshipping and serving God, plus the matter of godliness, can also be full of the flesh. Plainly, whatever we do must be the outcome of our touching the Lord and the Spirit while in fellowship, and we must do it by trusting in God; otherwise, no matter how good it is, we must still condemn it as something of the flesh.
The second point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know the position of the flesh before God. We must receive light from the Bible to see how the flesh resists God and is in enmity toward God. We also need to see how the nature of the flesh is incompatible with God, how God rejects it and considers it abominable, and how He has determined to exterminate it and have no coexistence with it. This revelation will cause us to see as God sees, condemn what God condemns, and annihilate what God annihilates. Then we will seek release from the flesh, cooperate with God, and let the Holy Spirit put our flesh to death.
The third point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know the relationship and difference between the flesh and the old man. We should see that the old man, or our old I, is the real being of the flesh, and that the flesh is the expression of the old man or the old I. When the old man, or our old I, is being lived out in our experience, it is the flesh. Therefore, dealing with the flesh is entirely a matter of experience — that of dealing with the old man in a practical way.
The fourth point in dealing with the flesh is that we must know the dealing itself. The dealing consists of two aspects: the objective fact and the subjective experience. Both aspects are equally needed; neither one should be neglected. The aspect of the objective fact is what God has accomplished for us in Christ, whereas the subjective experience requires our cooperation with God in the Holy Spirit.
After we realize these four basic points in dealing with the flesh, we will have the experience of dealing with the flesh. The procedure of our experience in dealing with the flesh begins with a deeper longing and seeking for spiritual things. Once we love the Lord and pursue after Him, we naturally long that we may have a deeper life in the Lord and that the Lord would live in us in a deeper way. But in practice, our desire often is frustrated, and we fail. What we desire, we cannot do, but what we do not desire, we do. The result of our repeated failures is that we are brought to the place of total misery and despair. Although we often seek the Lord’s deliverance, we cannot find the way of deliverance. At this time the Holy Spirit gradually reveals that the reason for failure is that we live in the flesh. The thing that hinders us most from a deeper mingling with the Lord and hinders the Lord from living more deeply in us is our flesh. At the same time, the Holy Spirit shows us how filthy, corrupt, evil, and wicked our flesh is. Not to mention the evil aspect of our flesh, even what we ordinarily consider as good is also full of the element of man and the self. Our flesh, the good as well as the evil, is condemned by God and unacceptable to Him. When we have seen this, we will naturally, in the light of the Holy Spirit, hate our flesh. At this time the Holy Spirit will impress us with the fact of our being crucified with Christ. This impression, as vivid as picture taking, causes us to see that our flesh, our old I, or our old man, has already been nullified on the cross of our Lord Jesus. The entrance of this light immediately produces a killing effect that causes our old man, or our old I, to become gradually paralyzed and withered, eventually losing its position and power. Then all the fleshly elements in our practical living will automatically be exterminated. The more we allow the light of the Holy Spirit to shine within us, the more the old I, or old man, loses its position, and all the fleshly elements in our living gradually diminish and disappear. At this time we will have a little subjective experience in the matter of dealing with the flesh through the death of the cross.
However, our dealing with the flesh must not stop here. In our fellowship with the Lord and through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and causes us to partake of the death of the Lord, we must apply the putting to death of our flesh and its expressions time after time and step after step. This is our application of the death of the cross through the Holy Spirit. This is also what Galatians 5:24-25 speaks about: the subjective experience of crucifying the flesh with its passions and its lusts through the Holy Spirit. Because we give Him the opportunity, the ground, and our cooperation, the Holy Spirit within us will enable us to put our flesh to death so that we may live the life God wants us to live and do what God wants us to do. At this time we will not only live by the Spirit but also walk by the Spirit; then we will no longer be fleshly but spiritual.
We should always examine ourselves regarding the process of dealing with the flesh. Do we really see the objective fact? Do we ever let the Holy Spirit impress this fact into us? How much subjective experience do we have? How often do we apply the death of the cross in our practical living? After we strictly examine ourselves, we can be clear regarding the degree to which we have attained in our experience and look to the Lord for His further leading.
The process of dealing with the flesh that we have mentioned cannot be thoroughly experienced in a short period of time. We need to go deeper, step by step. Many items of the flesh are not recognized in the beginning; therefore, we have no way to deal with them. It is not until our spiritual experience grows deeper that we gradually recognize our flesh and have further dealings. Therefore, in our dealing with the flesh, we deal first with the corrupted aspect and then with the good aspect of the flesh. Finally, we put our whole being under the death of Christ and deal completely with the flesh.
With regard to the experience of dealing with the flesh, there is more dealing with the corrupted aspect of the flesh among the brothers and sisters, but too little with the good aspect of the flesh. We all have a natural concept concerning the flesh; naturally, we only know the corrupted flesh. Therefore, our dealing with the flesh tends to be focused on this aspect. For example, a brother may testify that sometimes when giving a message he feels that he does fairly well and also senses the presence of the Lord; therefore, he is quite elated. Then he condemns the elated feeling as the flesh, because there is the element of pride. This condemnation is right and necessary, but actually this kind of dealing is not of primary importance. The important thing is this: when you deliver a message, are you the one speaking, or is the Holy Spirit speaking through you? This is what we should judge. It is not a matter of whether the speaking is successful but rather of who is speaking. Perhaps you have spoken quite well, and many people were helped by you, but if you spoke in yourself, according to what you knew and memorized, that is flesh and must be condemned.
A certain brother may testify that he lost his temper while he was with a brother. Later, he was sorry because he felt that he was in the flesh; thus, he dealt with the matter and condemned it. This is also a very shallow dealing. If we have learned the deeper lesson of the experience of dealing with the flesh, we will feel that even though we did not lose our temper but, on the contrary, were good to others, helped them, and even prayed with them, yet, if these things were not done in the Holy Spirit, it was simply some good deeds of ourselves. Later, we will still feel that we are in the flesh. If we deal with our flesh to such an extent, then we really have a thorough dealing with the flesh.
Actually, if our dealing with the flesh is only limited to the corrupted aspect, then it differs little from dealing with sin, because there is not much of the real substance of dealing with the flesh in it. If we really want to deal with the flesh, we need to pay attention to dealing with the good aspect of the flesh and even the whole fleshly being. Not only in ordinary, small matters do we need to have dealings, but also in pious, spiritual things and matters pertaining to the worship of God, we need to ask: Am I doing this in myself, or am I doing it by abiding in the Lord? Am I doing this according to my own wishes, or am I being led by the Holy Spirit? Unless I abide in the Lord and have fellowship with Him, all that I have done, however good it may be, is still fleshly and should be condemned.
Not only should we deal with the “doing” of the flesh but also with the “not doing” of the flesh. Some brothers and sisters have some knowledge concerning the flesh, and the Holy Spirit shows them how much of their service, such as visiting and sharing, is done according to their own natural self, not through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they decide that from now on they will never serve, visit, or share. But if this inactivity is not derived from fellowship with the Holy Spirit, but rather from their own decision, it is a worse kind of flesh. Some brothers and sisters have been enlightened to see that their former prayers were of the flesh; therefore, they do not pray anymore. Yet they do not know that their not praying expresses the flesh even more. Therefore, our “not doing” is never a way of release from the flesh. On the contrary, many who have been released from the flesh are those who are most capable in doing. The Bible reveals that God is a working God, a God who has been continually working until now. For several thousand years He has been speaking and working and has never ceased His work among humanity. Likewise, all those who live in the Holy Spirit can never stop working, for the Holy Spirit is their motivating power, causing them to work even more. Therefore, we should not think for a moment that inactivity is not of the flesh but of the Spirit. All those who are inactive are even more of the flesh. The flesh is nothing more than making your own decision and having your own opinion; it is simply being what you are and doing what you want. Therefore, dealing with the flesh means that I recognize I have been crucified on the cross; today it is not I who decide whether I should minister or pray but the Lord who decides for me. What He does, I do; what He does not do, neither do I. When we have really dealt with the flesh, we will not decide anything according to ourselves, either to do or not to do. We should always live in fellowship and abide in the Lord, always have a heart that puts no trust in ourselves, but ever have a spirit that relies upon the Holy Spirit. A relying spirit and a trusting attitude are marks of our flesh being dealt with.
Again, let us use the illustration of the ministry of the word. Many times when a brother speaks, he has full confidence, knowing what he should say and how to say it. Therefore, he has everything well prepared and has laid the Lord aside. It seems that if there were not a Lord in the universe, he could still deliver the message successfully. This situation proves that his message is being delivered in the flesh. This is not so with one whose flesh has been dealt with. Although he also prepares himself to deliver the message, he has learned the lesson of rejecting the flesh and depending upon the Spirit. It may be that originally he prepared to speak about justification, but when he stands to speak, the Holy Spirit suddenly moves him to speak about sanctification; thus, he will change his subject without hesitation. Or it may be that before he speaks, the Lord has not shown him the subject on which he should minister. On the Lord’s Day the meeting starts at ten o’clock. At 9:50 he still does not know what he will talk about. It may be that after the singing and the prayer, he still does not know what to say; yet at this point he still does not decide by himself. He looks to the leading of the Lord in his deepest being. It is not until he stands and opens the Bible, saying, “May we read...” that he knows which scripture to read and the subject upon which to minister. Sometimes in the beginning he still is uncertain of the point, but while speaking he tries to contact the Lord inwardly until he finally touches the source. It is similar to hitting a fountain when digging a well. Since he touches the stream of living water, words simply flow out of him. This kind of ministry is the condition of all those who have their flesh dealt with.
The life of the Lord on this earth shows that He is One who put His trust entirely in God. Our Lord has no sin nor fault, yet He said, “I can do nothing from Myself” (John 5:30). When He was on this earth, He neither acted nor spoke from Himself. He was in the Father, and the Father in Him. He did all things and spoke all things through fellowship with the Father. This is the example for our dealing with the flesh. We must abide in the Lord and act as the Lord works within us; we must also speak as the Lord speaks within us. It is only in this way that we will not be in the flesh.
Romans 8 speaks of dealing with the flesh as well as walking according to the Spirit or minding the Spirit. These two always go together. Whenever we do not walk according to the Spirit, mind the Spirit, or live in the Spirit, we are in the flesh. When we deal with the flesh, we do not stress dealing with jealousy, selfishness, or pride of the flesh, but with our works and activities, behavior, and manner of living that are outside the Holy Spirit. Inasmuch as what we do is outside the Holy Spirit and has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit, whatever we do is the flesh, and whatever we do not do is also the flesh. Therefore, there is no other way, no other method, of release from the flesh but the Holy Spirit. It is only by walking according to the Spirit, minding the Spirit, and living in the Spirit that we are released from the flesh. Therefore, the outcome of our dealing with the flesh is that we live in the law of the Spirit of life, depending on the Holy Spirit in all matters, never upon ourselves. It is not until this point is reached that we experience dealing with the flesh in its fullest measure. May the Lord be gracious to us.
